


Beauty Returns to the Beast

by Shiratopia



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-08-12 21:30:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7949809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shiratopia/pseuds/Shiratopia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Immediately after the events of Volume 3, Blake has decisions to make. I didn't like where the current events were leading. We waited so long to see Adam again after his intro in the black trailer, and they give us an abusive, hurtful man. So... I want him to be an anti-hero...so that's what I'm going to write!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Frantic Search

**Author's Note:**

> I am starting this little series as a slightly AU branch for the current happenings at the end of Volume 3. I'm not sure how much time I'll have to write, but I'll dabble a little while waiting for the next episodes in Volume 4. (Ok, maybe while waiting for Volume 5 now...)

The air was heavy with moisture that froze into tiny ice crystals around her, as if any warmth was being pulled from the very atmosphere, mixing with the smoke from the smoldering ruins of Beacon. Blake paused on the roof and peered to her left. Though the dense fog and smoke stung her eyes, she could make out the silhouette of the Grimm dragon clutching to the remains of the top of the tower.

As if its energy were pulled out of its body like the moisture in the air turned to ice, the Grimm dragon stood frozen. What happened to this great beast? When she had returned to their retreat near the edge of Beacon, the mysterious flash from the top of the tower had terrified everyone. Was this a miracle of Professor Ozpin’s power or secret Atlas technology? If chaos reigned in Beacon during the evacuation, it tripled after the might of the Grimm dragon was frozen atop the tower. During the madness and confusion and never ending stream of Grimm, it was easy for Blake to slip away without a goodbye to her friends.

If they had known what Blake intended, they would have tried to stop her. She didn’t have time for explanations or apologies.  How could she ever explain Adam’s promise to them? How it meant death to everyone she had come to hold dear over these last two semesters. Her friends were students, and they were not ready for the perils of the real world. The perils she had experienced as a young cat Faunus living on her own. The perils her friends would each face of Adam’s wrath.

Subconsciously, Blake reached down to the nagging pain on her left side, and she was almost surprised to feel the wet, sticky warmth soaking through her fingertips. In the chaos of these last few moments, she had almost forgotten the dire situation she was in.

To rescue her partner, Yang, in a dangerous encounter with Adam, she had been forced to leave Gambol Shroud behind. Adam had wounded Blake to bait Yang into an attack. With her own aura almost depleted, she was unable to fully heal the wound in her side. Like some cruel predator, he had struck the line between pain and death to hurt her. Missing her vital organs, her next greatest worry was bleeding to death. The majority of the bleeding she was able stop, but without rest, she could not fully heal the wound on her side. It may have been her imagination, but she could still feel the heat from Wilt’s blade.

With a sigh and a wince, Blake took off across the rooftops once more. She didn’t have time to stare at the remains of the school she had most recently called home. Her thoughts were consumed with her choices that lead her to this moment. Again in her life she found herself running. The first time she had run from the fear of what Adam may become. He could no longer see reason, and Blake knew her only hope to stop him from hurting innocents was to obtain the power of a huntress. Now she ran for the fear of what Adam may do to her friends, her training as a huntress incomplete. The difference this time was plain to her. She feared her friends would only see her as a coward, but Blake was resolute. He had threatened her friends to torment her, and Blake only had one choice to end it.

Adam was strong. For years, Blake had trained alongside him, barely able to keep up. All too well she knew his immeasurable strengths, and now she knew none of his weaknesses. In the past, she may have been his one weakness, but that time had passed when she said goodbye and left him on the train.

She knew she had hurt him deeply. With Adam’s power, he could have leapt the distances between the train cars and ended her life. Yet he let her go, and the betrayal was complete.

Blake knew she could never succeed in killing Adam to ensure her friends safety, but she would die trying. Instead of running away, this time she was determined to save her friends.

Making haste to carefully hustle along the rooftops, Blake finally came within sight of the dining hall. The fires that had raged during her fight with Adam were now only smoldering coals, as if the energy from the fire too was being absorbed into holding the great Grimm dragon. She nimbly leapt from the roof to land, shaken and stumbling, near the door of the dining hall.

She carefully walked through the broken door. Her fear and instincts were screaming at her to leave this place, but Blake was resolved to retrieve Gambol Shroud. Without it, she didn’t have the courage to go through with her plan. She repeated to herself that Adam was gone, the dining hall now abandoned. He would crash through Beacon with the Grimm like a tidal wave and would have already withdrawn to his next objective.

She assured herself that her weapon would lay, undisturbed, near the upturned tables. She was so determined that she could almost visualize it on the floor, soot beginning to settle on the cool metal.

The memories from the encounter were still fresh in her mind. She could recall the weight in her arms as she had drawn her weapon in defense from both Adam’s physical attacks and his taunting words, and how he had easily kicked Gambol Shroud from her grasp. As she reeled back from his blow, she could vaguely place where it must have landed, and she began her search there.

Under tables and broken chairs, she couldn’t find her weapon. She leaned low, to better see the floor, and she could feel her sticky blood on her clothes, now cold and clammy, press close against her skin. Still she could not find her weapon. It has to be here, she shrieked in her head! Never had she been separated from the security of Gambol Shroud.

She glanced left and right, looking for a glint of light off the blade, but all she could see was broken glass and broken furniture. She dropped to her hands and knees, ignoring the pain of small cuts from the glass on her hands and knees, desperation stealing her senses when she heard the crunch of glass under footsteps.

Blake froze, irrational fear consuming her once more. Her next meeting with Adam wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

“You’ve returned to me, my love.”


	2. Choices to Make

Blake defied her irrational fear and scrambled to stand. This wasn’t her plan, but she would end it here nonetheless. For a quick instant, her thoughts went to Ruby and how her quick thinking always resulted with a plan. Blake’s mind searched desperately for that plan.

 “Adam.” One word, softly spoken, was her response to buy her time.

“I knew you would return: if not for me…” Adam paused and raised his right hand, holding Gambol Shroud still in pistol form. “…Then for this.” He paused again, and Blake could sense him measuring her remaining courage. “Your loyalties are misguided.”

Blake’s eyes widened in surprise. Her body suddenly started to feel weak, her defenses collapsing. Her blood loss and depleted aura were now clouding her thoughts. She began to realize how foolish this plan may have been, and what strength she had left was beginning to wane. Adam would always be stronger; he would always be a step ahead of her. The great dining hall was beginning to shrink and stifle her. The thick smell of smoke in the air caught in her throat.

“I won’t let you hurt my friends!” Blake blurted out in desperation.

“You have reaped this result with your betrayal.” Blake couldn’t see his eyes through his mask, but she thought she could see him subtly shift his weight, almost as if he were thoughtful. “How will you stop me when you can hardly stand?” As if to demonstrate his point, he casually aimed Gambol Shroud at her and smoothly pulled the trigger to let fly a single round.

Blake’s instincts took control and she attempted to dive to her right, but only resulted in tumbling to her knees to barely avoid the speeding bullet. As she knelt on the ground, her mind raced. What could she do? What would Ruby do? Ruby was so different from her. “Give me my weapon.” Ruby would be cocky, confident.

“Predictable. You know how this ends. I won’t kill you, but I’ll hurt you. I may even take you back to your _friends_ as a broken doll.” He spit out the word friends as if it pained him to say it. “Perhaps I’ll finish killing the blonde one as a gift for when you wake up.”

Adam’s voice was cruel, yet contemplative. Without warning, he tossed Gambol Shroud to Blake. She caught it with both hands, rotating its cool familiar shape to verify how many rounds remained. She felt for the first time tonight that maybe luck would be on her side. There would be enough ammunition for her plan, especially with her in this weakened state.

“What’s next, my love?” Again Adam’s cruel voice sliced through her, but Blake shook off the hopelessness that threatened her resolve. She carefully stood, and distributed her weight evenly on her two feet. Even the pressure on the balls of her feet caused them to ache from fatigue.

Adam lowered his stance and reached his right hand to grasp the hilt of his sword, preparing for this inevitable showdown. Blake looked down at her pistol once more and her lips found a small, sad smile at the irony. How she couldn’t save her first real friend from himself, yet how she could still save her team.

As if in slow motion, Blake held Gambol Shroud in her right hand, and felt her left fingers trembling. Through her black tangle of hair, she could see Adam tense. She knew if she fired at him, he would use Wilt to absorb her attack. And she knew he would fulfil his promise to return the blow to hurt her. Blake drew her pistol and placed it to her head, a tear sliding down her face. She didn’t want to die, but what other choice did she have?

“What are you doing?” He seemed genuinely confused.

She didn’t have to answer him. In fact, she knew before her strength was gone she should end this. Forever break her ties with this man she had once loved, and leave her life behind. Without her, he would have no reason to seek vengeance on Ruby, Weiss, or Blake. Surely more powerful hunters and huntresses will rise up to stop him.

Adam relaxed his grip on his blade, and returned to a normal stance. “Your death won’t stop me. If you end your life, I will send your friends to join you in hell.”

“No…” she cried. That wasn’t how this was supposed to work! Her mind raced, thinking of scenarios from the stories she read, thinking of the paths that led her to this choice. She could not fathom how or why Adam could concern himself to hunt three teenage girls. “Why…? Why would you do that?” she whispered, barely loud enough for Adam to here.

“I’ll make you a deal.” Adam paused to ensure her eyes and her attentions were focused on him. “If you return to your place at my side… If you promise to stay with me until the end…” So slowly he spoke. “I will spare their lives.”

“You would…spare…their lives?” Her tears were falling more freely, her mind a confused jumble. Her regret at taking her own life, her fears for the future, and her frustrations with her inability to conquer her problems all clouded her thoughts. Her finger lightly trembled on the trigger of her pistol. In her weakened state, she couldn’t deflect this bullet. It would penetrate her skull and she would never wake from the darkness. She could rest knowing her part in this story was over.

“Blake. Please.”

Her mind snapped up at her name, and the tenderness in Adam’s voice, a sweetness she thought gone. Please?

“You…give your word?” she stammered. If her death couldn’t save her friends, could her life really save them instead? Adam dipped his head. “Say it!” she cried.

Adam relaxed. “I swear. If you stay with me, I will not harm your team. ” He took a step toward Blake. “But you must never leave me again.” He took another slow, deliberate step. “Never.”

Though her mind worked furiously, she couldn’t find any other path of salvation. Blake slowly removed her finger from the trigger of Gambol Shroud. To trade her freedom for her friend’s lives seemed more than a fair bargain, and just maybe she could find some way to stop him. She lowered her pistol.

“I…accept.” All the strength she’d saved for her final act was leaving her. She could feel her knees grow weak from both fear and lack of strength. If she was lucky, she’d never see her friends again. She hoped her new life as Adam’s prisoner would be far from Vale and the ruins of Beacon. Exhaustion replaced her fear, and despair replaced her desperation. Her hands no longer had the strength to hold her weapon, and it slowly fell from her numb fingers. “What have I done?” she whispered to herself.

Faster than she could follow, Adam was there, standing before her. His gloved hand gently brushed the hair from her face. Now her tears were of her lost freedom and her dreams of becoming a huntress. She closed her eyes to let the exhaustion claim her.

“I’ve missed you, my love…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to explore and imagine what would happen if, like Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Blake traded her freedom to her beast for her friends survival.


	3. Memories and Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashback as a memory/dream sequence

Blake didn't know where she was, but she could hear the sound of the soft whistle of wind gentling blowing through pines. It was both familiar yet foreign. Nearly a year had passed since she last heard the wind blowing so freely. At Beacon, forests were replaced with buildings, courtyards, and dormitories. The wind through steel and concrete did not sound the same as it did through leaves and needles.

In her delirious state, her mind flashed back to a memory from a year ago, before Beacon and before she left the White Fang for good. Somewhere between waking and sleep, she could almost feel the wind on her face.

~~~

_She had a new mission today. Together with Adam, they were to infiltrate a high speed train carrying a large shipment of Schnee dust. The cargo would be heavily protected, but this store of dust would not only supply the White Fangs needs, but also offer excess they could sell on the black market to finance their other wants for weapons and supplies._

_Many of the White Fang were passionate recruits, but few of them had the coordination and the skill to pull off this heist. Blake and Adam had those skills together._

_Five years ago, the new leader of the White Fang saw the potential and passion in Blake. He had ordered his son, Adam, to train with her, encouraging him to sharpen both her combat skills and her mindset to serve the new goals of the organization._

_Though his duties kept him busy, he couldn’t help but beam with pride to watch his son spar with her. Her physical prowess made her a prodigy under Adam’s direction, and they moved together as one. Slowly, the most observant members of the White Fang began to notice the lingering glances the partners held for each other. Small gestures that would be platonic, save that a touch lasted mere seconds too long. It was a secret desire between student and teacher that neither Blake nor Adam knew how to handle. As long as missions were successful, the White Fang leader figured his intervention would cause more distraction than it would save._

_For the mission, Adam and Blake were to gain access to the train and disable it. Then a support group of White Fang would wait at a rendezvous point to unload the train and transport the cargo away._

_During the mission briefing, Blake had asked how they were expected to disable the crew without killing them. The White Fang leader had scoffed at the idea. No matter how deadly in battle, this girl-now a young woman-was still soft. When Blake had begun to argue, determined to make their leader understand, Adam had gently put his hand on her shoulder. She turned to face him, and her frustrations dissolved. She knew that together, Adam and she could improvise a new plan to save the crew. She didn’t want anyone innocent to suffer; Adam would surely understand this too and help her. Once the briefing was complete and they were dismissed from the command tent, Blake quickly turned and left the tent._

_“Blake.” Adam called out from behind her. She halted in her steps to wait for him. “I need to talk to you.”_

_“Adam!” she said, relieved that he once more read her mind. “There has to be another way. The crew doesn’t deserve…”_

_Adam held his finger to her lips, silencing her. “They’re human, Blake. We have our mission…”_

_Blake reached out to pull his hand down from her lips. “Adam, the crew is innocent. They are just private contractors that aren’t even affiliated with the Schnee Dust Company.”_

_Adam sighed. “Like all our previous missions, the orders are clear. Destroy the engine, halt the train. Don’t make this complicated.” He pulled his gloved hand from her grasp. “Walk with me.”_

_Blake fell into step beside him as they walked from the camp in silence. They came upon a large pair of boulders in the forest, out of sight and sound from the rest of the camp. Around them, the leaves were bright red and falling from the trees to gather at the ground. A gentle breeze caused the ribbon on Gambol Shroud to slowly flutter._

_Adam asked, “Are you ready for this?”_

_Blake turned to face him. “The mission? Of course…”_

_Usually cool and calm, Adam seemed nervous. “Blake, I’m worried for you.” He reached his gloved hand to touch the hair near her face. Away from the camp, away from the rendezvous team’s preparations, and away his father’s watchful glances, Adam could afford this small tenderness. “This is your test. It’s meant to demonstrate that you can follow your orders for the good of the White Fang.”_

_“What do you mean? I’ve been a member of the White Fang since I was a child! What do you mean this is this test?” Blake was confused._

_“Our leader, my father,” Adam started slowly, fondling that lock of hair. “He needs to know he can trust you to follow orders like I trust you.”_

_“Adam.” Blake reached up to place her fingers on his mask. She gently lifted and removed it. She could finally see his eyes, warm and worried. “I can’t kill the crew. It’s not right, and I can feel it. Please tell me you know I’m right.”_

_He closed his eyes, conflicted. He took her free hand and held it to his cheek. “They’re hu-…”_

_“But they’re innocent!” Blake pulled back from his grasp. How could he fail to see that?_

_Adam’s eyes suddenly blinked open, more serious and more nervous. “They are human. Don’t forget how the Faunus have suffered,” he said with finality._

_Frustrated, Blake turned from him to face the stony boulders. She rotated the mask in her hands, concentrating on the details._

_“Blake, there is something else I need to talk to you about. Something other than the mission.”_

_Blake turned to face him again, confused at this change in topics. He reached for her hands, taking the mask she held and dropped it to the forest floor before holding her hands firmly in his own. He looked into her amber eyes._

_Blake’s heart began to beat faster. They shared many stolen glances, but never more direct forms of affection._

_“I need to tell you how I feel about you.” Adam paused, seeming to struggle with words. “This world is crazy, and we have so much work yet to do to bring about our revolution…but I want…I need to have you by my side.”_

_“Adam…” Blake started, unsure of how to respond._

_“I love you,” he interrupted. Blake couldn’t deny that she had feelings for him too. Those feelings that had been developing these last few years had confused her. At first, he was a mentor, older than her, and she looked up to him like a brother. As she aged and matured, she became more aware of his innate grace and his strength. Somewhere along the many training sessions and short missions she became attracted to him._

_Before she could say anything, Adam leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “Together we can bring about a new world,” he said softly. “We can finally have that world we dream of where the Faunus do not have to cower in fear.”_

_Blake closed her eyes, the nearness of Adam’s body making her own feel weak. Yes, she thought to herself, she wanted equality for their people. She wanted the same opportunities for school and for life that humans seemed to be guaranteed._

_Adam’s hands found their way around her, and his lips were now at her human ears._

_“After this mission,” he whispered, “be at my side as my wife. I will bring in the new era for you and for all Faunus. Together we are unstoppable, my darling.” He gently began to trail small, soft kisses from her ear to her lips._

_Blake closed her eyes, nervously tentative at the feel of his lips on hers. His lips were softer than she expected, though his kiss was as firm and as demanding as his training sessions were._

_She wanted to believe his words. She trusted Adam with her life every day, but there was also worry. Too many times he seemed to dip over the edge of the extreme, as if he had a darker side. Somehow her hands found their way to his chest, and she firmly pushed back from him, gasping from the excitement tingling in her body. She wanted to give in and believe in him, but something in her felt apprehensive._

_“Adam, I can’t,” she heard herself say. She looked up at him, expecting to see disappointment in his eyes, but instead she saw determination._

_“The mission comes first. Our objectives will always come first, but please…” He reached out to caress her face. “Just think about it, my love.”_

_Adam reached down to pick up his mask from the ground. He refitted it to cover his face once more. “I need to finish preparing for the mission. I’ll meet you at this rock in an hour when the train approaches.”_

_After he left, Blake sat atop the rock to contemplate her role in the White Fang. Could she really kill innocents? What had the White Fang become? Then there was Adam’s confession. She had feelings for Adam, but how could she commit herself both to him and to help the Faunus realize equality? And as he became darker and more willing to commit darker deeds for their cause, would she be willing to follow him?_

_True to his word, Adam met Blake an hour later. They fell into step with each other, moving as one to attack the train. Their rhythm was together as befit their training and missions, and the day’s earlier conversations were almost forgotten._

_Once the first car was secured, Blake asked about the crew. “What about them?” Adam callously replied._

_Blake made up her mind. She would save the crew in the engine, and she would leave the White Fang to avoid the repercussions. To leave the White Fang also meant that she would have to leave Adam._

_“Goodbye.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm taking a few more liberties here with non-canon behavior and relationships. This wasn't originally the chapter 3 draft i have written, but since my draft was a little more dry, I thought this seemed more fun to speculate and write.


	4. Prisoner or Guest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake awakens in a strange place and has to adjust to her new situation. I'd have to say I'm not super excited for the direction Adam's story takes us after volume 3 so I'm making up my own.

Feeling uneasy, Blake opened her eyes slowly, and they adjusted to the dim light of her surroundings. She was in a tent, minimally furnished with a cot, a table, and several small boxes. Fear set in once more when she couldn’t remember how she arrived here. Her mind searched back to her last memories. There was the Battle of Beacon. The Atlas security forces were attacking civilians. There were Grimm…and White Fang! She remembered facing Adam in the dining hall, and then there was Yang.

 

Yang…and Adam! Blake immediately tensed at the memories of that encounter and bolted up to a sitting position. She regretted the sudden movement almost immediately from the pounding in her head. She brought her right hand up to gently massage her temple when she noticed her arm was covered in long red sleeves. Her normal clothes were missing and instead she was dressed in loose red dress shirt and some black pants. Along her right wrist was a long black ribbon tied in a large bow. She recognized the ribbon from her hair, but her stomach sickened to think of where this red shirt came from. Her mind whirled back to practice sessions and sparring matches in the past. Her delicate feline senses could smell the faint scent of her old partner, as this shirt, though clean, came from his belongings. Though she wished to strip it off, she saw no alternatives for clothing in the tent. Her mind wandered to the next priority causing her distress.

 

She prayed Yang would still be alive. Adam may have disappointed her in the past, but he had never broken a promise to her. She could only hope her friends would regroup and gain their strength. As much as she worried of Yang’s lost limb and broken spirit, Blake knew her own situation wasn’t much better.

 

She analyzed her current circumstances. She was in an unknown location, probably a White Fang camp. She was wearing strange clothes, and once more she was weaponless. Aside from the aching pain in her head, she was feeling rested. She pulled up the dress shirt on her side to see the painful wound from Adam now healed. Only the faintest discoloration indicated anything was ever amiss.

 

“Now what…?” she mumbled to herself. Her first thoughts went to her burning desire to flee. With her aura recharged, she could use her semblance to distract any guards and escape. Yet that would leave her in the same situation as before. Running from her problems, and history had shown that running from Adam only made things so much worse for her life.

No. She promised her freedom to save her friends, and she would have to remain, waiting to learn whatever fate he had planned for her now. Surely he knew her forced return to him would never result in her feelings being the same as they were before. What could she possibly offer him anymore?

 

She looked again to the bow on her wrist. It may be silly, but she felt so vulnerable with her Faunus heritage on display. It was unclear how the ribbon wound up neatly tied on her wrist, but she carefully grasped an end and tugged it free. Like second nature, she passed the ribbon under her hair and pulled it into a new bow over her cat ears.

 

With a heavy sigh, she slowly placed her feet on the floor and rose from the cot. Her toes in the soft dirt reminded her that she didn’t have any shoes.

 

How far could she really even run without shoes?

 

She looked at the door to the tent and felt terror at the thought of seeing Adam. Being his prisoner or at worst, his accomplice once more, frightened her beyond all measure, yet she could hardly stay in this tent forever.

 

Cautiously she stepped to the door, and Blake slowly drew back the flap to reveal the startling rays of sunshine as well as two armed White Fang guards.

 

Startled, they whirled to face her, hands quickly reaching for their weapons. Blake couldn’t see their faces through their masks, but she slowly raised her hands in surrender.

 

“She’s awake. Should we summon Adam?” the smaller guard asked, a female with small bear ears.

 

“He’s reporting to the leader. We shouldn’t disturb him,” replied the taller guard with a bushy fox tail.

 

“He’ll want to know…” the first guard replied.

 

Blake looked from one guard to the next before looking past them at the camp, lively with troops hustling about moving injured.

 

When the taller guard, clearly superior in some manner, didn’t reply, the first guard continued, “He said she’s a special ‘guest…’ Perhaps we should send for food and water. Then we can escort her to Adam after the debriefing?”

 

The second guard lowered his katana. He gripped Blake’s arm roughly, turning her back to face the tent. “Wait inside.”

 

Involuntarily, Blake jerked back her arm, and stepped into the tent, remiss to leave the warm sunshine for the tent’s dimly lit confines. Behind her, she could hear one of the guards walk off.

 

Blake wandered to a folding chair near the cot in the tent to take a seat. It looked like she was stuck waiting to confront Adam after all.

 

Her mind lost in thought, she jumped at the sudden influx of light as the tent flap opened.

 

Blake squinted against the brightness to see an old squirrel Faunus step into the tent, carefully balancing a cup and a small plate with his puffy tail following behind him. She suddenly felt guilty at how easy it could be for her to hide her Faunus heritage. “How do you feel miss?”

 

“Where am I…and…who are you?” she started.

 

“You’re in a White Fang camp, and I’m just an old fool. You’re safe here. That is if we are safe anywhere.” The older man scanned her over. “You were in rough shape when he brought you here. You look better now. How do you feel?” he asked again.

 

_He?_ Did he mean Adam? This man seemed harmless enough. Blake eyed up his tail suspiciously. If not for that tail, every other part of him looked human. Who could ever be afraid of a squirrel? She sighed in defeat.

 

“I’m…alright. I just have…a headache.”

 

“You’re just dehydrated, miss. Here, I brought some water.” He gently held the cup out to her, and Blake was hesitant to take it. “I’m not sure of all the circumstances that brought you to us, but I swear, it’s just water.”

 

She gently reached for the cup, and she could feel the cool condensation start to gather on the outside. Bringing it to her nose, she couldn’t smell anything odd. If Adam brought her to a camp where an old man could poison her, perhaps it was the fate she deserved. She drank the water, and agreed. It was just water.

 

She greedily drained the cup, realizing for the first time how thirsty she really was.

 

The old man held the plate out to Blake. She took it with her free hand and passed him the cup with her other hand.

 

Blake stared at her plate. A small fork was stuck into the pile of canned tuna. She grasped the fork delicately and tasted the tuna. It certainly wasn’t the worst she had ever eaten. She slowly reviewed everything she knew up to this point while she ate her meal in silence.

 

 “Where is this place?” she mumbled again.

 

“This is our camp.” The old squirrel watched Blake carefully. “This is our safe haven where we wait for our sons and our daughters of the White Fang to return.” Blake’s eyes widened.

 

“Will you rejoin the White Fang now that you are well again?”

 

_You’re mistaken!_ Blake wanted to shout. In her past, she fought with the White Fang. She fought to build a better world and end the prejudice, but somewhere along the line the White Fang had begun to cause more pain than they healed. She wanted to tell him how the White Fang had turned from freedom fighters into criminals.

 

Instead she stood speechless.

 

“How silly of me! Of course you will.” The man nodded his head. “He brought you back to heal and rest. I’m sure you’re eager to return to the front lines once more. One day you’ll bring forth that better future for my grandchildren. I can just feel it.”

 

_He_ again? Adam. What was this farce? He brought her back to this camp to _heal and rest_? All this after he tried to kill her best friend, and promised to make her hurt and suffer.

 

“I think I need to rest more. Where …where is…” Was she so frightened to even say his name? “Where is A-Adam?”

 

“Ahh, worried about him, huh?” The man smiled. Did he think that Blake and Adam were-?

 

“No, it’s not! I’m…” Her shoulders slumped. Blake carefully considered how much she wanted to tell this stranger. “I just need to know where to find him.”

 

“He returned with some of the White Fang last night with you. He said you were injured in the last mission; that you were to rest.” The squirrel’s tail twitched nervously. “…And you were not to leave.

 

“He treated your wound and cleaned you up.”

 

Blake thought of the ribbon in her hair. Had Adam saved it and tied it to her wrist when the rest of her clothes were trashed? Suddenly Blake’s cheeks felt hot. Had he changed her clothes? She had no memories between her last encounter at Beacon to awakening in the tent. She turned her head to look off into walls of the tent, trying to hide the flush in her cheeks and growing embarrassment.

 

The old squirrel, sensing her confusion and uneasiness, started to leave. He stopped just short of the door. “I shouldn’t assume your relationship, but he’s never returned here with injured before.”

 

Blake looked at him, bewildered. She didn’t know what to say so she fell back to good manners. “Thank you for your kindness.” The old squirrel took her dismissal and left the tent.

 

Now that she was alone, her mind was left to process what she could. Presumably, Adam had taken her to this camp to rest. More or less, she was a prisoner. She promised her freedom to save her friends so the only thing left to do was languish here. Blake didn’t know what plans Adam may have, but being forced to help the White Fang made her feel sick.

 

She thought of her friends, and she wondered where they were. Perhaps if she could find a way to contact them, though this small camp was unlikely to have a communication terminal she could use without attracting attention. Her thoughts instantly went back to Yang, and Blake felt disgusted at herself for what happened. She became caught up in the slurry of what-if scenarios.

 

What if she would have just ran from Adam rather than engage him in the dining hall? Then Yang would have never come for her defense. What if Blake could have reasoned with Adam? No, there was no reasoning with Adam. Not back then, and surely not now. Blake felt so exasperated. How was she supposed to move forward? What would she do with herself now?

 

Blake looked around the tent, and she realized the she was only feeling sorry for herself.

 

Instead, she drew her mind to remember why she left the White Fang; how Adam was determined to reverse the roles of Humans and Faunus rather than focus on equality. He wanted the Humans to suffer, and it frightened Blake. Yet she didn’t know what frightened her more, Adam’s hunger for vengeance or his confession of love. For years she saw his hatred for Humans develop, yet she stayed with him as his affections for her only grew. She hoped she could reason with him, but it wasn’t until his confession before the train that had finalized her decision to leave.

 

What if she had stayed back then? Her friends would be safe, but she would have never known them.

 

“Stop!” Blake whispered to herself. “No amount of regret can change the past, and no amount of worrying can change the future.”


	5. New Strategies

“We’ve heard no word from Salem’s agents since the fall of Beacon. We can either surmise that they didn’t survive or that we are no longer of any use to _their_ cause.”

 

Adam paused to study his father’s face. “It appears we must resume our assault on humanity alone once more.”

 

He could hear his father’s sighs. “I understand your motivation to work with those people. Our initial goals may have been similar, but they, _as humans_ , are also our enemies. We need to re-evaluate our strategy. With Beacon in ruins, Vale will be in chaos. We don’t have the strength to fight Atlas head on, yet Mistral’s physical advantages will be hard to overcome.”

 

The White Fang leader continued to slowly pace the command tent. “No, it appears our current goals will be to rebuild our strength. You, my son, must be the beast humanity fears us to be. Rest your troops until your next assignment. You’re dismissed.”

 

There was no salute. The White Fang didn’t operate that way. Instead, Adam slowly turned to leave.

 

“One more thing,” his father called out behind him. “What are your plans for Ms. Belladonna?”

 

“It depends on her.” Adam stalked out of the tent, closing the flap behind him. He gazed about the camp. It was clear to see their numbers where sorely diminished. Most who wandered hurriedly around the camp were still ragged with exhaustion or too old to fight.

 

_What are my plans?_ he silently asked himself. His hurt and betrayal at Blake’s abandonment had long since bittered to anger, yet his heart was torn with repressed longing. Before he realized it, he found himself walking purposefully to her tent. His mind remembered the softness of her smile, her genuine laugh, but he couldn’t control his anger. He involuntarily clenched his hands, his leather gloves creaking in protest. All he had done to protect her, all he had accomplished to bring her a better world…and she left him standing, dumbstruck as she sped away.

 

As he approached the tent, the two guards shrank back. “She’s awake,” the taller guard spoke.

 

“Leave us.” Two simple words, and the guards nodded, eager to find their own rest.


	6. Lost Freedoms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That dreaded confrontation part 1.

“Leave us.”

 

Blake recognized that voice and turned toward the door. Her eyes quickly scanned the tent, looking for all possible escapes, but she forced herself to face this fear.

  
Adam pulled back the flap and stepped into the tent’s dark confines.

 

“You’re awake, my love.”

 

Blake stared at him, her amber eyes alert and studying. His customary mask obscured his eyes. His customary katana was not at his side, nor was it in hand and that at least offered some small relief.

 

He stepped closer, yet Blake forced her shaking body to hold her ground.

 

As he stopped right before her, Adam’s right hand came up to her face. Blake visibly cringed, awaiting a blow that didn’t occur. Instead his hand once more went to her soft black hair. He slowly took a stray lock between his fingers as his gaze moved to the ribbon once more in her hair.

 

“You look healed now,” he started softly. “And I see you’ve found your ribbon.”

 

Though she couldn’t see his full face, she could feel the tension he was holding back.

 

“Apologize to me, Blake, and I’ll forgive you.”

 

Each word was slow and deliberate, but perhaps it was her spoken name that gave her courage. Her left hand reached for Adam’s, her own fingers wrapping around his gloved fingers. She gently pulled his hand down from her face, and he let her, his gaze returning to her face.

 

“I have nothing to apologize for-“

 

Adam jerked his hand from hers, and Blake tensed at his sudden change.

 

“You betrayed the White Fang! You betrayed ME!” he was angry. “You only had to follow simple orders.” He stopped and brought a gloved hand to his forehead. “I will give you this world you want so badly,” he slowly resumed, calm once more. “I would give you my heart, but it’s not enough!”

 

“It’s NOT enough. Can’t you see-?” Blake started.

 

“I’ve seen enough! I’ve seen the Faunus living as second class citizens, and I’ve seen you defending the humans, defending their school and their human agenda!” Adam raised his voice.

 

“Human agenda?” Blake started. “Since when are the Grimm on the Human agenda? The Grimm are a danger to Human and Faunus both. I was training to be a huntress.”

 

“The Grimm are a punishment to the greed of Humans!”

 

“You’re delusional!” Blake shouted back. “Can’t you see the pain and destruction you and the White Fang have caused?”

 

“I’ll do whatever it takes.” Adam sighed, and continued in an almost sad way, “I’ll be the villain I have to be, the very beast that will terrify humankind and bring the ruling councils to their very knees. You and I will create a new world.” His voice softened. “A world we can share together.”

 

“There is no _we_ …” Blake started.

 

Adam visibly stiffened as if struck. “You’ve made a promise to me. For the sake of all you hold dear, you are now bound to me. As my prisoner if it must be. Don’t make this hard, Blake.”


End file.
